A Crunchy Life - January 2021 Newsletter
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
If you have read my 7 December 2020 blog post then you are deeply aware of what has transpired in my world since November 2019. I have been on an unexpected sabbatical and I am so pleased with how it has turned out. The path has been different than I imagined but I have come to the other side ready to move forward.
I discovered this year that I have twelve American Lotuses (the December 7th post explains why the American Lotus) that are available to me each day as my foundation. They are all different sizes. Some are scraggly. Some are well-formed. Some days I am diligent about tapping in to them and some days it is more free-form. They all have one thing in common – they are always available to integrate me and this land and universe I am part of.
Here they are, my 12 lotuses:
Earth/Nature
Place/Land
Movement
Healthy-Happy
Space
Slow Down
Music/Meditate
Breathe
Teachings/Teachers
Wisdom-holder
Ritual/Ceremony
Divinity
Each month in 2021, at www.acrunchylife.com, I’m going to share about one of my 12 lotuses. I’m also going to send out the newsletter again to share what I am listening to, reading, watching, etc.
This isn’t about me knowing the way. I know a way, my way. Right now, this way is working for me, and at a later time, it may shift again. Just because it is my way, doesn’t mean it will work for anyone else and that’s not the purpose of sharing. The purpose of sharing is to nurture community, to share experiences, to learn from with each other, to connect to our shared wisdom and knowledge. I hope you will continue to join me on this journey and share it with someone else who may enjoy it as well.
How I’m Celebrating the New Year…….
First Day Hike. First Day Hikes are part of a nationwide initiative to encourage people to get outdoors. On New Year’s Day, people all across the USA participate in First Day Hikes. According to the American Hiking Society, last year nearly 55,000 people rang in the New Year, collectively hiking over 133,000 miles throughout the country! I will be joining Hike Like A Woman as they kick off LIVE on Facebook first thing in the morning to share where they are headed and what they are packing. Then, I’ll hit the trail too, hopefully with some family members in tow, and share a photo or two of our first day hike on Instagram and Facebook (@hikelikeawoman).
What I’m listening to…….
John Luther Adams, The Become Trilogy - Become River, Become Ocean, Become Desert. Orchestra and Chorus. When I listen to this trilogy I am transported to the place. Powerful. Resonating. Haunting.
From johnlutheradams.net:
“For John Luther Adams, music is a lifelong search for home—an invitation to slow down, pay attention, and remember our place within the larger community of life on earth. Living for almost 40 years in northern Alaska, JLA discovered a unique musical world grounded in space, stillness, and elemental forces. In the 1970s and into the ’80s, he worked full time as an environmental activist. But the time came when he felt compelled to dedicate himself entirely to music. He made this choice with the belief that, ultimately, music can do more than politics to change the world….In works such as Become Ocean…Adams brings the sense of wonder that we feel outdoors into the concert hall. And in outdoor works such as Inuksuit and Sila: The Breath of the World, he employs music as a way to reclaim our connections with place, wherever we may be.”
What I’m reading…….
I want to start the year by telling you about a new author I have discovered. She is not just new to me but to the world of young adult fiction. Gail Anthea Brown.
I stumbled upon Gail on Instagram last month just when her first book was debuting, Castles of Steel and Thunder.
First, I read it on Kindle unlimited because that was the only way I could access it in the USA. Then I went back, purchased another copy for our oldest to read and now I am re-reading it. What can I say - it is a wonderful book! Gail understands the role of the mythic imagination and the importance of place in one's life. She brings both to this engaging heroine's journey. Sysa is a heroine that will be a pleasure to watch grow in future novels.
By the way, her Instagram is a joy as well. Beautiful images and stories. instagram.com/welliesontheschoolrun
What I’m missing......
It's actually who I am missing - Barry Lopez. This amazing author passed away on December 26th. His books and his experiences taught me so much about nature, landscapes, humanity, and the power of stories. Most importantly he taught me about relationships. Arctic Dreams, Of Wolves and Men, Desert Notes/River Notes, Horizons, his writings in Orion, and his children's book, Crow and Weasel. His storytelling is beautiful. I met him once. It was 1996. He was reading at the Library of Congress for "Watershed: Writers, Nature and Community" - six days of readings, lectures, dialogues, panel discussions, classroom visits and performances celebrating nature and nature writing, co-hosted by Poet Laureate Robert Haas and the Orion Society. He was sitting next to Wendell Berry. What a moment for me! I spoke with both and they signed my books. I was mesmerized. It is sad to think of a world without any more insights and stories from him.
What I’m loving…….
I don’t fall in love easily and when I do it is not fleeting. It is forever. From the minute I saw this, I hoped it would a perfect match. It is as though it was created to draw me in - no aerosol, propellants or chemicals. Reusable. Glass. How could I not fall in love.
I’ve tried those others; you know the ones - metallic outside with a pump that needs to be primed. They work for me for a month or so and then die. Yes, user error is a possibility but should it really be that easy to destroy. And, there are many of those that I have left in my wake.
This one is different. I have had it for six months now, and it is doing great. In fact, I have two - one for olive oil and one for avocado oil (yes, I used lemon essential oil to remove the EVO off of the one I use for avocado oil - I gotta do what I gotta do :-) )
From the lehmans.com website:
Sprays 1/4 teaspoon of oil with each easy trigger pull
Plastic, reusable sprayer head doesn't need pumped or primed
BPA, Latex, and DEHP free
6 oz capacity
6"H
What I’m looking forward to…….
Epiphany. Epiphany is one of the very oldest Christian festivals. This is also the day the Christmas Tree comes down in our home.
The first part of the tradition concerns the Three Kings, and the second part of tradition concerns the Baptism of Jesus some thirty years later. As the story goes, there were Three Kings, apparently derived from the three gifts they brought: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Over time, the Three Kings acquired names: Caspar (or Jasper or Gaspard), Melchoir, and Balthazar. Melchoir, the king in red, offer gold as a symbol of wisdom; Bathazar, the king in blue offers frankincense as a symbol of piety, and Caspar, in green, offers myrrh as a symbol of healing forces and vitality.
This day commemorates the arrival of hope and charity in the world. According to folklore, in exchange for their gifts, the kings received the blessings of enjoyment, love, and peace. On Epiphany we will burn incense I make that includes frankincense and myrhh and our youngest will make a crown cake for all to enjoy. Chris and I will sit down over lunch and review the goals and plans we set for 2020 last year. By the end of the lunch we will have our goals and plans for 2021. This day is all about reflection and hope.
Verse: And down from all stars, streams blessings like wondrous rain so that all our weary powers grow new again.
Love. light, joy, hope, and peace to you in this new year,
Karen